Latest news with #NYC-area
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Breakfast cereals have gone from fuel to fluff — how to select the healthiest ones
They're colorful, crunchy — and packed with junk. A new study suggests that many kid-friendly breakfast cereals are slipping in nutritional value, with more fat, sugar and sodium sneaking into every spoonful. Researchers say the shift may be feeding America's obesity crisis, which affects 1 in 5 children and adolescents nationwide. The Post spoke with two NYC-area nutrition experts to get the scoop on the healthiest cereal options and smarter breakfast swaps for the most important meal of the day. Cereal continues to dominate the breakfast table. Nearly three-quarters of US households reached for a cereal box in 2023, according to CivicScience polling. While just 12% ate it daily, 18% had it three or four times a week and 23% reached for a bowl once or twice a week. But habits are changing. The same survey found that nearly one in three Americans are now seeking healthier cereal options, such as those low in sugar and high in fiber. In the new study, researchers examined 1,200 new or revamped cereals that hit US grocery store shelves between 2010 and 2023. They focused on products specifically marketed to children 5 to 12, often boasting bright packaging, cartoon mascots and tempting prizes inside. The results suggest that breakfast is starting to look a lot more like dessert. Over the 13-year period, the average fat content per serving grew by nearly 34%, jumping from just 0.13 grams in 2010 to a whopping 1.51 grams in 2023. Sodium also surged, increasing 32% to more than 200 milligrams per serving on average. While total carbohydrates stayed mostly flat, average sugar content climbed by nearly 11%. In many cases, just one bowl exceeds 45% of the American Heart Association's daily recommended limit for children. 'With cereal, that's just them starting off the day,' Dr. Josephine Connolly-Schoonen, executive director of the nutrition division at Stony Brook Medicine, told The Post. 'You can quite easily see how they'll exceed the recommendation of 25 grams or less of sugar for kids in a day,' she added. Connolly-Schoonen said she wasn't surprised by the study's findings. 'For many, many years, the food industry has been creating products that are made to look like they're healthy by the packaging and marketing — but indeed are not because they add sugar and sodium to make them palatable,' she explained. Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Northwell Health's Huntington Hospital, echoed that warning. 'Cereals can be full of sugar, which provides non-nutritive calories and can contribute to weight gain,' she said. 'Highly processed cereals with artificial colors can also contribute to inflammation in the body, which, with other processed foods in the diet, can increase the risk of chronic diseases,' she continued. The warnings come as President Trump's administration takes aim at ultra-processed foods. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan last month to phase out eight artificial dyes from the American food supply, many of which are found in popular cereals, citing concerns over their impact on children's health. If the rising fat, sodium and sugar content wasn't bad enough, the essential nutrients kids need for healthy development are disappearing from the cereal box. Protein content dropped significantly over the study period, while dietary fiber fell by nearly a gram per serving between 2021 and 2023. 'Kids' cereals have barely any fiber — something that helps kids feel full and keeps their digestive track running smoothly,' Schiff said. The result? Mid-morning sugar crashes and growling stomachs. 'These trends suggest a potential prioritization of taste over nutritional quality in product development, contributing to childhood obesity and long-term cardiovascular health risks,' the study authors concluded this week in JAMA Network Open. Specific brands were not named in the research. It also only looked at newly released cereals, so it doesn't paint a full picture of the entire cereal market. And while the findings are concerning, researchers didn't measure how these changes affect children's overall nutrient intake. The good news: You don't have to ditch cereal completely, but it might be time to rethink your choices. 'When it comes to kids or adults, I like cereals that contain whole grains, minimal added sugar and have at least a few grams of fiber per serving,' Schiff said. Her go-to picks? Classic Cheerios, Wheaties, Kashi Honey Toasted Oat Cereal, Nature's Path Whole Wheat Raisin Bran and Heritage Flakes. 'If your kids are used to having a high-sugar cereal for breakfast, try mixing it with a low-sugar, high-fiber cereal,' Schiff suggested. 'There's a good chance they'll still like it.' She also recommended getting your kids involved by letting them pick healthy toppings like fruit, nuts or shredded coconut for a boost in nutrition. While cereal may be a quick fix on hectic mornings, Connolly-Schoonen said there are better ways to start the day. Her advice? Keep it simple and prep ahead — like whipping up overnight oats or a veggie-packed frittata at the start of the week. By the time Thursday or Friday rolls around and the fridge is looking bare, she recommends whole wheat toast with natural nut butter and some fruit, like sliced apples or raisins, for a balanced, no-fuss breakfast.
New York Post
23-05-2025
- New York Post
I'm a pilot — here's the disastrous truth about flying out of Newark Airport
It's just a plane pain. Delays, cancellations and air-traffic trauma. The plagues have all contributed to the ongoing chaos of flying out of Newark Liberty International Airport. And, unfortunately, this dreamy wingman says the nightmare is far from over. 5 Pilot Pete Cappio shared his first-hand experience with the long lines, wait times, flight delays and cancellations that have recently plagued New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport. Getty Images 'Holy cow, is that a disaster,' griped pilot Pete Cappio, a Big Apple-based aviator and 'Bachelorette' alum, of his recent departure from the NYC-area air station. Offering his 183,000 TikTok viewers a sneak peek at the plane pandemonium, Cappio, 35, shared visuals featuring a cluster of aircraft waiting to take off from Newark's tarmac. But smooth sailing out of the airport — deemed a 'travel hellhole' by frustrated frequent flyers over the past few weeks — has become virtually impossible. The disarray is largely due to a string of air-traffic control outages, construction issues and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee walk-offs. The ongoing tumult forced the FAA to announce a dramatic cut to the number of flights permitted to come in and out Newark for the next several months. 5 Cappio warned jetsetters traveling into or out of Newark to expect delays and cancellations. REUTERS 5 Newark Airport has been in turmoil since a 90-second power outage in late April. REUTERS 5 Cappio says his plane was 27th in line to depart from Newark Airport due to a closed runway. Getty Images Luckily for Cappio, endearingly known as 'Pilot Pete' online, he made it out by the hairs of his chiseled chin. 'Here's a live look at how many airplanes I had to wait behind prior to takeoff,' the millennial moaned in his viral vid. 'We were No. 27 for takeoff, and that's for multiple reasons,' he continued, adding that the 'biggest' blockage was a closed runway undergoing reconstruction. 5 Cappio gave social media fans a glimpse at the 'disastrous' traffic on Newark Airport's runways. TikTok / @ 'Every airline has to take off and land on a parallel runway, and it causes a backup bigger than I've ever seen before at Newark,' complained Cappio. 'Unbelievable,' he said. 'It took us 57 minutes, from push back to takeoff, behind all these airplanes.' Still, the airman applauded Newark's few remaining air traffic controllers for doing their best under some of the worst conditions. 'Excellent job,' he raved. 'Super, super skilled getting airplanes airborne as quickly as possible while dealing with airplanes coming in to land.' Cappio went on to assure trippers that catching a flight to or from the beleaguered hub is 'super safe,' but advised folks to 'expect delays' and 'possible cancellations.' 'Crazy, crazy happenings at Newark Airport.'
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
From floating Fiats to helicopters, how to travel to the Hamptons in style
The only thing better than dashing off to the Hamptons for a summer weekend is arriving there — and party-hopping between hamlets — in high style. Here are three chic ways to escape the city and book it to the beach like the cool kids do. By Blade 4 Blade is offering four seasonal passes for a soaring summer in the Hamptons. Looking to slice the price of your summer commute? Blade has four new seasonal passes running from May 22 to Sept. 2. For frequent fliers, the summer steal is the Limitless pass — it gives you unlimited flights between Manhattan and the East End (as well as NYC-area airports) aboard one of the company's amphibious seaplanes or Bell 407 helicopters for $18,000. Advertisement That means you can drop the family off at the beach in the morning, hit the office in Manhattan and be back for sunset cocktails with no added costs, no blackout dates and absolutely zero stress. Blade is also introducing a $4,450 Summer Pass that locks in the price of flights between NYC and the Hamptons at $795. You'll fly on the company's Xcel helicopter or Aqua seaplane to any of their six Hamptons drop-off destinations. But if you swoon for Southampton or must be in Montauk, Blade has additional deals specifically for those airports. Upward and onward. By Barbie yacht 4 Yacht Hampton's 'Barbie' yacht keeps travels pretty in pink. Courtesy of Yacht Hampton Once you're in the Hamptons, the fun shouldn't stop. For trips to Orient, Greenport, Block Island, head to Yacht Hampton in Sag Harbor, where Joe Ialacci has an outrageous assortment of bobbing beauties. Advertisement There's a 16-foot floating Fiat (yes, as in the car) for tubing (from $799). He's got a brand-new 22-foot pink 'Barbie' boat, perfect, according to Ialacci, for popping the question, bachelorette parties or a day out with the gal pals (from $799). And don't worry, boys, there's a blue 'Ken' boat, too. He's added 10 new models just this season. He's also creating a 'water kingdom' of floating toys to splash with this summer. 'I'm making all the colors match so that it looks like Palm Beach, like you are off the coast from the Breakers.' Or choose from dozens of yachts, big and small: 'Some people will rent a boat for $5,000 or $6,000 just to go to lunch.' By charter yacht 4 Knight operates a 12-passenger Hinckley Talaria 44 jet boat. Courtesy of Royal Yacht Charter Advertisement Not so long ago, you might have kept your yacht in Greenwich and sailed to the East End on the weekends — or better still, caught a ride on your friend's big bad boat. But the sails in the marina are disappearing, says James Knight, the captain of Royal Yacht Charter. 'We've seen families become tax exiles and take their planes and the yachts to Florida,' he says. 'They come back and they want a boat, so we act like their boat, coming to their dock at their house.' A truly under-the-radar service for those in the know, Royal Yacht Charter is one of the only charters left in the game sailing regular routes from NYC or Greenwich to the Hamptons ($4,000 from Connecticut and $4,850 from NYC). Knight operates a 12-passenger Hinckley Talaria 44 jet boat as his flagship vessel (retailing for about $3.6 million) as well as a picnic boat for smaller groups. The trip takes about three hours (but do stop somewhere scenic for lunch) and docks where you like — say Sag Harbor or Sunset Beach on Shelter Island. By whirlybird 4 Choppers by HeliFlite charge around $2,500 per person. Courtesy of HeliFlite Advertisement Real high fliers don't copter-pool, they charter their own chopper. For three decades, HeliFlite has been shuttling Manhattan VIPs to and from the East End (and more recently from Miami to Palm Beach and even the Bahamas) with the largest fleet of twin engine helicopters on the East Coast. Think: eight-passenger Sikorsky S-76s and nine-passenger Leonardo AW139s. Now curious commuters can try out the service with an introductory HeliCard package. It offers prepaid flight time at lower, locked-in rates, and guarantees a chopper will be waiting to whisk you to Southampton, East Hampton or Montauk. Instead of springing for 25 hours of flight time, first-timers can buy as little as five — about enough to get you to and fro the Hamptons over two weekends. The plan starts at $89,500 (roughly $2,500 per passenger per trip on a nine-seater). But getting there in 35 minutes? Priceless.
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Breakfast cereals have gone from fuel to fluff — how to select the healthiest ones
They're colorful, crunchy — and packed with junk. A new study suggests that many kid-friendly breakfast cereals are slipping in nutritional value, with more fat, sugar and sodium sneaking into every spoonful. Researchers say the shift may be feeding America's obesity crisis, which now affects 1 in 5 children and adolescents nationwide. 5 Studies have shown that cereal consumption decreases with age among US adults. soupstock – The Post spoke with two NYC-area nutrition experts to get the scoop on the healthiest cereal options and smarter breakfast swaps for the most important meal of the day. Eat up, America Cereal continues to dominate at the breakfast table. Nearly three-quarters of US households reached for a cereal box in 2023, according to CivicScience polling. While just 12% ate it daily, 18% had it three or four times a week and 23% reached for a bowl once or twice a week. But habits are changing. The same survey found that nearly one in three Americans are now seeking healthier cereal options, such as those low in sugar and high in fiber. A bowl full of trouble In the new study, researchers examined 1,200 new or revamped cereals that hit US grocery store shelves between 2010 and 2023. They focused on products specifically marketed to children 5 to 12, often boasting bright packaging, cartoon mascots and tempting prizes inside. 5 Children are often more drawn to cereals with vibrant packaging. JHVEPhoto – The results suggest that breakfast is starting to look a lot more like dessert. Over the 13-year period, the average fat content per serving grew by nearly 34%, jumping from just 0.13 grams in 2010 to a whopping 1.51 grams in 2023. Sodium also surged, increasing 32% to more than 200 milligrams per serving on average. While total carbohydrates stayed mostly flat, average sugar content climbed by nearly 11%. In many cases, just one bowl exceeds 45% of the American Heart Association's daily recommended limit for children. 5 Excessive sugar consumption can lead to weight gain and increase the risk of obesity. zakiroff – 'With cereal, that's just them starting off the day,' Dr. Josephine Connolly-Schoonen, executive director of the nutrition division at Stony Brook Medicine, told The Post. 'You can quite easily see how they'll exceed the recommendation of 25 grams or less of sugar for kids in a day,' she added. Connolly-Schoonen said she wasn't surprised by the study's findings. 'For many, many years, the food industry has been creating products that are made to look like they're healthy by the packaging and marketing — but indeed are not because they add sugar and sodium to make them palatable,' she explained. Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Northwell Health's Huntington Hospital, echoed that warning. 'Cereals can be full of sugar, which provides non-nutritive calories and can contribute to weight gain,' she said. 'Highly processed cereals with artificial colors can also contribute to inflammation in the body, which, with other processed foods in the diet, can increase the risk of chronic diseases,' she added. 5 Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long targeted artificial dyes found in candy, cereals, sports drinks and processed snacks. REUTERS The warnings come as President Trump's administration takes aim at ultra-processed foods. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan last month to phase out eight artificial dyes from the American food supply, many of which are found in popular cereals, citing concerns over their impact on children's health. If the rising fat, sodium and sugar content wasn't bad enough, the essential nutrients kids need for healthy development are disappearing from the cereal box. Protein content dropped significantly over the study period, while dietary fiber fell by nearly a gram per serving between 2021 and 2023. 'Kids' cereals have barely any fiber — something that helps kids feel full and keeps their digestive track running smoothly,' Schiff said. 5 Healthy cereal typically features whole grains, low sugar content, high fiber and hearty protein levels. Christopher Sadowski The result? Mid-morning sugar crashes and growling stomachs. 'These trends suggest a potential prioritization of taste over nutritional quality in product development, contributing to childhood obesity and long-term cardiovascular health risks,' the study authors concluded this week in JAMA Network Open. Specific brands were not named in the research. It also only looked at newly released cereals, so it doesn't paint a full picture of the entire cereal market. And while the findings are concerning, researchers didn't measure how these changes affect children's overall nutrient intake. Simple swaps for a superior start The good news: You don't have to ditch cereal completely, but it might be time to rethink your choices. 'When it comes to kids or adults, I like cereals that contain whole grains, minimal added sugar and have at least a few grams of fiber per serving,' Schiff said. Her go-to picks? Classic Cheerios, Wheaties, Kashi Honey Toasted Oat Cereal, Nature's Path Whole Wheat Raisin Bran and Heritage Flakes. 'If your kids are used to having a high sugar cereal for breakfast, try mixing it with a low sugar, high fiber cereal,' Schiff suggested. 'There's a good chance they'll still like it.' She also recommended getting your kids involved by letting them pick healthy toppings like fruit, nuts or shredded coconut for a boost in nutrition. While cereal may be a quick fix on hectic mornings, Connolly-Schoonen said there are better ways to start the day. Her advice? Keep it simple and prep ahead — like whipping up overnight oats or a veggie-packed frittata at the start of the week. By the time Thursday or Friday rolls around and the fridge is looking bare, she recommends whole wheat toast with natural nut butter and some fruit, like sliced apples or raisins, for a balanced, no-fuss breakfast.
Time Out
13-05-2025
- Time Out
JetBlue is offering $49 fares leaving from these New York airports
Has this week's very rainy forecast left you dreaming of escaping New York for greener, way less wet pastures? JetBlue Airways has graciously decided to add some much-needed sunshine to your week with the launch of its big "Book it Before it's Hot" Sale, including deals on summer travel leaving out of NYC-area airports. Kicking off today, May 13 and running through Thursday, May 15, JetBlue is offering a whole slew of one-way domestic and international flights for under $100, departing out of local airports like John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Want to leave out of JFK? You can fly one-way to Miami, FL or Manchester, NH for $49; an extra tenner will get you to Chicago, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Providence or Syracuse. A Southern jaunt to New Orleans or Charleston is only $69, while a trip all the way out west to Denver or Seattle is yours for $109. Excitingly, there are a bunch of tropical destinations included in the JetBlue sale, including St. Lucia ($124 for a one-way), Aruba ($129) and Providenciales in Turks & Caicos ($139). Among the deals from LaGuardia, you can go to warm Floridian locales like Tampa and West Palm Beach for $79 one way, or Fort Lauderdale for only five bucks more. Or if it's more a New England beach weekend you're after, a flight to Nantucket is set at $99. And despite the recent messiness over at Newark, that New Jersey airport is also home to several great deals, including flights to Cancún, Mexico for $124 and to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for $159. The travel window spans Tuesday, May 27 through Saturday, October 4, with blackout dates set for over the Independence Day holiday (July 3 through 7); the sale also excludes Monday, Friday and Sunday travel. (You can check out all of the flight terms and restrictions here.) J
